1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hand held and operated hammers, as are used in the construction trades. More particularly, the invention comprises a roofing hatchet having a magnetic head which is used to hold ferrous fasteners, or nails, in position for driving without the need of the user holding the nail with his free hand, thereby freeing the second hand for other tasks involved in the roofing process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While numerous examples of magnetic hammers may be found in the prior art, none provide magnetic attraction of a nail while protecting the magnet from the forces of hammering a nail. Magnets, by nature, are brittle and prone to shattering and demagnetizing, and must be protected from the force of the hammer's blows.
The earliest magnetic hammer, U.S. Pat. No. 29,760, issued to Reinhold Boeklen on Aug. 24, 1860, presents a tack hammer with a first end magnetized by rubbing it with a loadstone and a second, non-magnetized end for driving the nail once it is set.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,115, issued to Louis M. Palomera on Aug. 14, 1984, discloses a HAMMERHEAD. A magnet recessed into the face of the hammerhead, proximate the end of the handle, holds a nail by the side of its shank, parallel to the hammerhead, substantially normal to the striking face of the hammerhead. By contrast, the present invention teaches a magnet within the striking face, which holds the head of a nail.
A MAGNETIC HAMMER is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,736, issued to Alan D. Robertson, et al., on Sep. 29, 1981. A cylindrical magnet retainer attached to the striking face of a hammer head by a threaded shaft. A cylindrical magnet is retained within the magnet retainer. While the present invention includes a protective cover to prevent the magnet from physically striking the head of a nail being driven, Robertson provides no such protection.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,327, issued Ottis D. Pearson on Feb. 14, 1978, for a MAGNETIC HEAD HAMMER discloses a hardened steel magnet incorporated into the striking face of a hammer head. Like Robertson, Pearson provides no protective shield over the magnet for shielding it from physically striking the nail head.
A SHINGLING TOOL WITH ADJUSTABLE GUIDE is disclosed by J. R. Crookston in U.S. Pat. No. 3,257,671, issued on Jun. 28, 1966. A hatchet type head is disclosed, with a slidably adjustable spacing gauge proximate an upper edge and the blade edge of the head. A cutting blade is held in place proximate the lower edge and blade edge of the hatchet by a metal plate held in place by a pair of screws. The SHINGLING TOOL of Crookston has no magnetic head, as in the present invention. Furthermore, Crookston requires a specific cutting blade, while the present invention is adapted to receive a variety of more commonly available blade.
Aldor S. E. Reuterfors discloses a SHINGLING HATCHET in U.S. Pat. No. 3,233,643, issued on Feb. 8, 1966. The hatchet of Reuterfors incorporates a cutting device specifically designed as a part of the hatchet, as opposed to the blade of the present invention, which is commonly available through normal retail sources.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,821,222, issued to George W. Mount on Apr. 13, 1953, discloses a MAGNETIC HAMMER AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME, hammer having two striking faces is disclosed. A first head incorporates a magnet for holding a nail for an initial strike which sets the nail into a surface, and a second head is used for driving the nail into the surface. Unlike the present invention, Mount's hammer must be rotated about its handle in the process of setting and driving the nail.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.